What is going on with Thorpe park?

[Furiustobaco]

I think Thorpe is sadly doomed to be in Limbo. They have great thrill rides, but that is a double-edged sword. This attracts teenagers, which spend minimal money. Their lineup has a poor family offering, which means their practically is NO reason not just to go a few miles south to Chessington which offer a great variety of family friendly rides. So.. Basically the park appeals to a audience which just doesn't bring in money. I also think the park has been in a identity crisis for the past decade. The rotting of Loggers Leap just makes matters worse, which was their best family ride. And the second best family ride, is now covered in zombies and highly unpopular with the GP..

 

[James F]

I am surprised they have never gone with the nostalgia factor with a 90s or 00s IP to attract young adults who are likely to spend more money than teenagers. Then again it's finding one that is affordable

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[spicy]

Samurai and Vortex yesterday -

Even though the park has had a longer than usual off season to perform maintenance yet looks like both of these are going to be out of action for quite some time. The crane appeared to be dismantling parts of Vortex.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I suppose they would have used one of those clawed excavator thingies if they wanted to remove them, at least. Cranes are good news, as they are used to lift things carefully. Whatever is happening to Vortex, it seems they want it to be reversible. A full dismantling isn't entirely out of the question, but I'd consider it unlikely that the ride goes anywhere. If so, they would have closed it and then waited for the off-season to dismantle it for sale.

As for Samurai, they're building a platform to work on it right where it stands, without even dismantling the arm. I wouldn't be too worried about it not returning. That said, it'll certainly be down for the weekend, at least.

 

[JoshC.]

They've both been closed for a while; Samurai longer than Vortex.

Ultimately the longer closed season doesn't really affect these situations. Rides can break and can need repairs. Quite why it always seems to happen at Thorpe though, is anyone's guess... Though of course, Samurai is in its 23rd operating year, Vortex in its 21st. That won't help.

 

[Ethan]

Hoping the work on Samurai reduces the ride time as the 5 minute ride I got given a few weeks ago was abysmal. It's too slow to be that fun anymore, as much as I hate to admit it.

 

[Jared]

Hoping the work on Samurai reduces the ride time as the 5 minute ride I got given a few weeks ago was abysmal. It's too slow to be that fun anymore, as much as I hate to admit it.

It can’t run like it used to anymore sadly. Back when it was at Chessington it was frequently operated in Manual control, which would’ve shortened the rides operating life I’d imagine. The ride needs to be sent back to Mondial for a full refurbishment. Chessington effectively killed it before it relocated.

 

[Ethan]

It can’t run like it used to anymore sadly. Back when it was at Chessington it was frequently operated in Manual control, which would’ve shortened the rides operating life I’d imagine. The ride needs to be sent back to Mondial for a full refurbishment. Chessington effectively killed it before it relocated.

Yeah it's been like that for years sadly. Never belonged at Chessy anyway in my opinion.